These Terrifying Pollution Photos Will Break Your Heart And Call You To Action

15. A World That Doesn’t See

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There’s a lot of information and facts that we know about pollution and the devastating effects it has on our environment. But if this fur-less bear is any indication, we are unaware of just how bad it is. Some of these have been deliberately kept hidden, but now they’re here to stay. The following photos may shock you, as they’re a glimpse into what we have become and what we have done to the world around us.

14. Ducks Consume Plastic

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Despite several organizations campaigning against throwing plastic into rivers and oceans, ducks continue to die from plastic consumption as copious amounts of waste is still dumped into their environments. Plastic works in an extremely cruel way inside the bird’s body, as it cannot be digested, eventually causing a block in the intestines which causes death.

As if it isn’t bad enough that we create unimaginable amounts of plastic waste, the negative effects of food waste are starting to become more prevalent than ever.

13. The Horrors Of The Meat Industry

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Mass-produced meat creates deadly phosphorus which is eventually leaked into our rivers, lakes, and dumped into our oceans. This may not inherently sound like a bad thing, but what happens is too much phosphorus causes an excess amount of algae growth, causing a disruption in the ecosystem. When there is an imbalance in the ecosystem, we start to see mass deaths in certain species. Recently, polluted waters have caused many fish and other aquatic species to decline rapidly.

What we consume every day has other shocking effects, too.

12. China’s Industrial Pollution

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This is an example of the impact of industrial pollution in China. In some areas of the large country, people deal with thick smog in the air on a daily basis. Ironically, although China is a heavyweight in the pollution department, they’re also an active participant in the global climate change summits.

The next picture is further proof that China needs immediate help with environmental preservation.

11. China’s Taihu Lake

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Lake Taihu in China stopped supporting any aquatic life years ago, and now it’s threating to human lives, too. The water is now thick green sludge as it has been choked with devastating algae blooms. When the temperatures increase in Jiangsu Province, the algae produce toxins that can damage the liver, intestines, and nervous system of whatever consumes it.

China isn’t the only country with severe water pollution, either.

10. The Colorado River

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This murky yellow-brown mess is becoming a common site for tourists and locals who utilize the river system in Colorado. The Environmental Protection Agency of Colorado is in charge of protecting waters like this, and somehow, they’re also the ones to blame. The organization dumped millions of gallons of pollutants into the Animas River after trying to open a nearby mine in order to purify the contaminated water it contained, leaving it a toxic mess. The agency said it was a mistake, although that does little to rectify the situation.

The pollution doesn’t stop there.

9. Carbon Emissions On The Rise

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It was predicted that in 2017 global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels would rise by 2 percent, a record 37 billion metric tons. Those emissions had increased by only a quarter of a percent from 2014 to 2016, which is an alarming increase.

The next photo will make you want to cover your nose.

8. Garbage Dumping In Delhi

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Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world as nothing compares to the level of garbage being dumped here. A report stated that 78% of Delhi’s population dumps garbage on the road, and there is no system in place to handle the clean-up. This photo shows a man sifting through a dump in New Delhi, hoping to find something valuable to sell.

There are dangerous kingdoms that are thriving in our world, that many don’t know about.

7. The Kingdom Of Plastic

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This photo shows the disastrous effect our plastic consumption and how it’s ruining the world we love so much. Beaches have become popular sites for illegal dumping of plastic waste, and with the little action that is taking place, it’s only going to get worse. At least 91% of the plastic that we consume cannot be recycled, meaning we need better solutions and fast.

Plastic isn’t just covering our beaches, it’s deforming our wildlife.

6. Deformed Turtle

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Humans produce trash regularly and freely without realizing how they are affecting other species. Animals end up consuming plastic and Styrofoam – substances that choke their respiratory system or result in severe deformities. This turtle is a prime example of the dangers of plastic waste as it must have gotten caught in the ring when it was young, eventually deforming its body.

5. The Great Pacific Garbage

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The Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch alone has 7 million tons of waste. The patch is twice the size of Texas and is nine feet deep. At least 80% of this patch is produced on land dumped through rivers, which lead into the ocean. The photograph shows people rowing through the thick garbage patch, trying to manage the waste.

So what’s this dumping tendency doing to our children?

4. Making Money From Trash

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A large part of the underdeveloped world utilizes waste hotspots to make a living. Often, children are seen picking through trash for metals or plastics that can be resold. But often their definition of ‘valuable’ is vastly different than what you might think, as they’re covered in dirt and grime during the entire process. They sell the trash for as low as 35 cents per kg, making the job almost unbearable.

3. Bears Are Losing Fur

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This surprising photo went viral recently as the creature had never been seen before. As it turned out, it was a Sunbear who had lost fur and was dying of starvation because of deforestation and pollution of food sources. If this doesn’t shock you, nothing will.

The next photo reeks of mindless dumping.

2. Mass Death

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At least ten tons of dead fish were found in the lake near Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Olympic park. Biologists stated that it was the result of raw sewage making its way into the lake. Sights like this are becoming more and more prevalent.

But the most heartbreaking photo is yet to come.

1. Bird’s Corpse Shouts Of Our Selfishness

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Many seabirds are now facing extinction because of how much plastic waste they consume and how much their environment has changed. The latest reports reveal, out of the 5 trillion pieces of garbage that is in our oceans, 90% of it is plastic. This plastic is first consumed by fish which are then eaten by the birds. This albatross met an untimely death because we didn’t protect our earth. It’s time to make a drastic change in the way we consume and manage waste before it’s too late.